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I recently created this black and white snack board for our The Tortured Poets Department listening and candle painting party! But, this high-contrast snack board can be perfect for lots of other types of parties. Maybe you're watching an old black-and-white film, throwing a Halloween party, or having a graduation retirement, or birthday party that is black-and-white themed. Either way, this snack board was a hit for us and we think it will be for you too. Here is what we included on our snack board and some other ideas for yours! Black and White Snack Board Mini powdered donuts Oreos Blackberries Black grapes Hershey's Hugs White cheddar popcorn Cookies and cream brownies cut bite-sized Start with a large black (or white) serving tray to keep with the theme. I have had my tray for so long I can't even remember where I got it from but you can find a variety of black serving trays that will suit the vibe you are going from. Fill up your tray with a variety of sweet and savory treats to enjoy, keeping each type of food grouped together. Throw in some fruit like our blackberries and grapes for good measure and let everyone graze or have it beside a dish like mini sliders and you're golden! Other ideas to include: white chocolate-covered pretzels black olives marshmallows white cubes of cheese black and white cookies Pirate's Booty Play around with it and have fun!

Summer is great for "chillin'" (as my son says) but, it's also a great time to read some good books! I created these adorable printable summer reading challenge bookmarks aka "bookworm bookmarks" to help kids track their reading this summer. We always seem to use our library card the most during the summer break. I'm always encouraging my kids to find new, interesting books to read over Summer when we have the most downtime. It gives their brain something to do (helps combat that summer slide) and it also gives us some quiet time each day to decompress. There are 4 different bookworm bookmarks that you can print and use this summer. Either use the ones that suit your needs the most, or print them all and see how many bookworms you can get filled in by the end of summer break! Each bookmark has a variety of reading prompts like "read outside", "read a book about someone different than you", "read a book with magic in it" and much more! There are eight different prompts on each bookmark. Once that book is read, fill in the bookworm's body segment with the coordinating color. You don't have to go in order at all, it's just something fun to add to your summer. Print our bookworm summer reading challenge bookmarks (link below) and take them with you the next time you head to your local library! Download Bookworm Summer Reading Challenge Bookmarks Need a home printer? This Epson Ecotank is our favorite home printer! You may also like our: DIY Bookworm Library Bag What are you and your kids reading this Summer? Here are some curated book lists to get you started. Earth and Nature inspired picture books Pride Books for Kids and Teens 35 Books about Diversity and Kindness

When it comes to summer in the South, everyone has their favorite Banana Pudding recipe. You're pretty much guaranteed to find a banana pudding at every potluck or family function. This is my family's favorite banana pudding recipe. I am from Savannah, Georgia, and I don't know about you, but I've seen so many videos lately of the Savannah Banana's baseball team antics on my social media accounts. Their videos always catch my eye and it made me think of this recipe, so I decided to share it. I make this Southern Banana Pudding recipe every year when the weather warms up and like to make it for friends for special occasions like having a baby! Southern Banana Pudding Ingredients: 1 large box of instant vanilla pudding 8 oz sour cream 12 oz Cool Whip (thawed in fridge) 6 large bananas, chopped 1 box Vanilla Wafers milk, see directions on the pudding package *** Directions: 1. Mix the pudding and milk as directed on the package. 2. Add in the sour cream and mix well with a whisk. 3. Fold in Cool Whip. 4. Layer Vanilla Wafers, chopped bananas, and pudding mixture. 5. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Fun Banana Finds For more family favorites, try our Chicken Tinga Tacos !

Did you know you can really visit the town where the Halloweentown the Disney movie was filmed? Take a trip to the Pacific Northwest this Fall and plan a trip to visit "Halloweentown" in St. Helen's Oregon, a quaint little riverside town. We went last year and it was so much fun. This blog guide will help you plan your trip to Halloweentown. Put on a spooky outfit and channel your best witchy vibes. Plan a Trip to Halloweentown While we spent the day in St. Helen's, Oregon, we really planned the trip to visit Portland, Oregon, and the Oregon coast so I'll touch on some of that in a later post if you're interested in our entire trip. But let's dive right into some Halloweentown tips and tricks to plan your trip. How Far is St. Helen's from Portland? St. Helen's is only a 40-45 minute drive from Portland so it makes a great day trip. Because it was so close we knew it would be a town to visit to kick off the Halloween season and put us in the Halloween mood. When to visit Halloweentown? St. Helen's is a regular town so you can visit any time of the year, but they really put on a show for Spirit of Halloweentown from mid-September all the way until Halloween (Sep 16-Oct 31, 2023). Because of our trip itinerary, we visited on a weekday which was much more chill, but if you visit on the weekends, they open their main attractions and it's much more fun! What to do in Halloweentown? The main attraction in my opinion is the plaza in front of the courthouse with the large Halloweentown pumpkin! This is open on the weekends (weekdays for free) for photo ops and walking through. You can also see Benny the cab driver and pose with him for a picture. On October 7th , they have a big Halloweentown parade that ends with a pumpkin lighting so that's fun! On weekends you can purchase tickets to other attractions as well such as the haunted house, Big Halloween Exhibit, boat ride to Sand Island to hunt for Big Foot, a decorated houses tour, alien museum, movie theater showings, celebrity photo-ops and more! They host a costume contest every Saturday and Sunday with cash prizes up for grabs so go all out! Weekend attractions are usually open from 10 am to 5 pm unless otherwise noted. Halloweentown Photo Op Places? Giant Pumpkin - Halloweentown Plaza City Hall/Courthouse Plaza - Halloweentown Plaza at 275 Strand Street Benny’s Cab - Parked along Halloweentown Plaza (it's not exactly the cab from the movie, but Benny will be there in the driver’s seat and it's a fun photo to snag!) Bus stop - Halloweentown Plaza Old Theater : 212 S 1st Street (You can actually watch movies here including Halloweentown!) If you're looking for Aggie Cromwell’s house, it's located at 3814 SE Martins Street, Portland, Oregon so that's a bummer. Special events in Halloweentown? On October 21st- 22nd it's the 25th anniversary of the original movie and they will have special guests including "Sophie, Dylan, Luke, and Marnie" there, where you can get paid autographs and/or pictures with the cast. There is even a pizza party with Sophie, Dylan, and Luke you can attend. You can go inside the courthouse and see part of the movie set as well as scripts and other props and view the Halloweentown movie in their theater to celebrate! Other weekends are a host to special events such as Twilight weekend (September), Hocus Pocus weekend (September), Haunted Hotrods (October) and Witches Beer Fest and Witches Celebration (October). If you're a Twilight fan, the Bella Swan Twilight house is also in St. Helen's. You can stop by to see it and take your picture out front as well. Where to park for Halloweentown? During the weekdays you can park in the city on 231 S First Street and it's free. On the weekends, because it's a small town that pulls a big crowd, they offer parking passes for 1810 Old Portland Road and will shuttle you into the town. Parking on weekends costs $15 a day online and $20 in person so plan ahead. To get more information and purchase your tickets for attractions, celebrity photos, parking, and more, visit their Halloweentown website . Visiting Halloweentown is such a fun trip and such a unique place! If you are planning a trip to Portland or the Oregon coast, come back soon for my 4-day trip itinerary and guide! Looking for more Halloween fun? Check out our DIY Cheesecloth Ghosts, 13 Witchy Reads for Fall , and Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Recipe .

Summer is just around the corner and I've been looking for creative ways to stay cool. I have made a few versions of popsicles, but these Peach & Strawberry Wine Popsicles are my favorites and I’ll definitely be stocking my freezer with these for the summer. These wine popsicles were inspired when I was grocery shopping and saw this Arbor Mist Peach Moscato. It’s been so hot here, and I’ve been trying to find something new and cool to drink during the summer. I thought it sounded pretty delicious, so I bought a bottle. This peach Moscato is good to drink all by itself, but I immediately thought of strawberries and peaches and popsicles and decided to make my own recipe. Why not take it up a notch? I love the pretty red and peach layers of the strawberries and peaches. Peach & Strawberry Wine Popsicles 1 cup frozen strawberries 2 tablespoons sugar 1/3 cup Moscato 1 cup peaches 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup Moscato Strawberry Layer Start with your strawberry layer. Blend together your frozen strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/3 cup Moscato. Pour into molds, filling about halfway. Freeze while you create your peach layer. Peach Layer In a blender, mix together about 1 cup of frozen peaches, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 cup moscato. Pour on top of your strawberry layer. Put wooden popsicle sticks in and freeze overnight. I used aluminum foil to help hold the stick in place while it was freezing. Serve plain or in a wine glass with more Moscato poured over the top. *This makes about 6 popsicles. I used this popsicle mold but used wooden popsicle sticks instead of the plastic bottoms that it comes with. Moms are planning to enjoy this Summer too! Bring on hot mama, wine popsicle summer! Looking for a cold treat for the kids? Try our No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream !

These Mini Lemon Flower Tarts are perfect for any Spring celebration, including a Mother's Day Brunch! These two-ingredient mini lemon tarts are super simple and make a stunning presentation for any Spring gathering. We loved them for Easter brunch and think they would be a stunning addition to your Mother's Day celebration! Mini Lemon Flower Tarts Recipe Ingredients: 1 box Ready-to-Bake roll-out pie crusts 1 can lemon creme (We used a can of Duncan Hines lemon creme found in the baking section) powdered sugar, optional Supplies: Flower cookie cutter mini cupcake pan Directions: Set your pie crust out, to become room temperature. Preheat your oven to 450F. Once your dough is room temp, roll it out and cut flower shapes out of it with this flower cookie cutter. 1 pie crust makes about 7 flowers, plan accordingly. Tuck each pie flower down into the mini cupcake pan, being sure to press them down into the bottom well, and gently fold the petals back around the top of the cupcake pan. Give the bottom and sides a few pokes with a fork. Bake for 5-6 minutes. 5 minutes was the sweet spot for me but your oven might be slightly different. Gently remove the flowers and let them cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Spoon the lemon creme into a plastic baggie and cut the tip off. Pipe the lemon creme into the center of the mini flowers. Refrigerate for a few hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired before serving. I tilted my flowers so that the powdered sugar got on the petals and not the pretty yellow filling. These would be a sweet treat to serve for a Mother’s Day Brunch! Moms always love flowers and they would make such a pretty presentation. These sweet lemon tarts would even be great for a baby or wedding shower or even a tea party or any celebration really! They are so pretty and bite-sized! This post may contain affiliate links .

Elevate your Taco Tuesday with these amazing Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tacos! Everyone in my family gets so excited when I make these tacos. The tacos taste so good and look beautiful, but the recipe is so easy! These aren't your average chicken tacos, because we turn the taco into a quesadilla. I mean look at that cheese pull! Let's jump right in and make these amazing tacos. As I said, these are stunning tacos, but actually pretty easy to make. Easy enough that you can actually have them on Taco Tuesday without feeling overwhelmed. Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tacos Ingredients: Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded 1 red onion, halved then sliced 1 can of chipotle chilis in Adobe sauce (I vary how much I use, but usually it's around 4 of the peppers with some of the sauce added in) 1, 28oz can of crushed tomatoes 4 garlic cloves 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano small flour tortillas (you need 2 tortillas per taco) non-stick spray, I like avocado spray quesadilla cheese, shredded Roasted poblano salsa cremosa (so so good, makes those flavors pop) Toppings optional: Onion, chopped (for ease, I buy prechopped) Queso Fresco cilantro lime wedges Note: Special tools this recipe calls for are a griddle (I own this one) and a food processor . Directions: Halve your red onion and cut it into thin slices. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add onions to start cooking. While your onions are cooking down, add garlic cloves, chipotles in adobe sauce, crushed tomatoes, oregano, cumin, and salt to a food processor and blend. 4. Once your sauce is blended, add it to your pan with the red onions and bring to a simmer. 5. Add in the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Bring it all to a simmer again and turn it down to low to just heat the chicken through and let that sauce marinate the chicken. 6. Start prepping your toppings for the tacos - we like chopped onion (I often buy pre-chopped to save time), crumbled queso fresco, cilantro, lime wedges, and the roasted poblano salsa cremosa really makes these tacos. Set all this aside and get ready to start making your tacos. 7. Start getting your griddle warm, I think I usually cook mine around 300. Spray with non-stick spray. I like avocado spray. 8. When your griddle is ready, add your bottom tortillas and top with shredded quesadilla cheese. Top with another tortilla. 9. When they are almost ready to flip, spray the top side with more non-stick spray, flip, and cook the other side. 10. Now, you're ready to make your tacos! The easiest way to make your taco fold in half is to use your spatula and made a small indentation down the middle to fold easier. 11. Add a scoop of the chicken mixture to one side of the taco. I sometimes add the rest of the toppings right way, other times I remove them from the griddle and add the toppings. Fold your taco together 12. Top with queso fresco, cilantro, chopped onions, roasted poblano salsa cremo, or whatever toppings your family likes. 13. Serve with a wedge of lime and enjoy! This post may contain affiliate links .

In my most recent attempt to be a healthier, I created this healthy green smoothie. It's so yummy and recently has been my favorite breakfast, even my kiddos like it! I finally got a chance to make it for Richard this week and he's a fan. It's so simple and super healthy with all that spinach! I created measurements for this post, but usually for my frozen fruits and spinach I sort of eyeball it. The measurements aren't always exact when I make it but pretty close. This smoothie is so good you don't even feel like you're eating greens. It's a wonderful way to get some green stuff into your body making your day start off healthier! Green Smoothie 1/2 cup frozen peaches 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks 4 ice cubes 1 cup cold water 2 fresh bananas, broken into pieces 1 fresh kiwi, peeled and sliced 3 cups fresh baby spinach 1 small container vanilla yogurt (6 oz) Blend it all together for a few minutes, stirring to ensure everything is getting mixed and enjoy! This makes about 36 ounces of smoothie.

April showers bring May flowers! We’re bringing some of those pretty Spring and Summer flowers to our table with these sweet Flower Garden Parfaits that your kids will enjoy making and eating! After our DIY wildflower seed bombs , we’re in the gardening mood. These garden parfaits are perfect and easy enough for kids to help! Whether you’ve spent the morning gardening, at the park, having a playdate with friends or at an outdoor tea party these cute little flower garden parfaits are a sweet treat your kids will love to help you make and eat. This flower parfait makes a good dessert or snack idea! We choose 2 different flavors and colors of pudding to create the layered to look, like Earth and topped off with blooming daisy spoons. So pretty and yummy! Flower Garden Parfaits Supplies: Clear cups Pudding – I used chocolate and butterscotch Chocolate chips Mini marshmallows Shredded candy sprinkles , green sprinkles, or green coconut shredded Daisy flowers green plastic spoons First, create the flower spoons. Simply glue faux white daisy heads to the ends of green plastic spoons with hot glue. Set them aside until you’re ready to assemble your flower garden parfaits. Directions: Layer your cups in this order 1. chocolate pudding 2. marshmallows (rocks) 3. butterscotch pudding 4. chocolate chips (different stones) 5. a little more chocolate pudding 6. shredded grass candy , green coconut flakes, or green sprinkles to look like grass Serve your little flower garden parfaits at your next party or playdate or have the guest get involved and let them make their own! My kids love helping in the kitchen with cute and easy food! You may also like our : DIY Wilflower Seed Bombs

I'm obsessed with Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour currently. The imagery in the Lavender Haze music video is just so dreamy so I decided to create a Lavender Haze-inspired Cocktail to sip on while scrolling SwiftTok and Instagram and watching videos. This cocktail features egg whites, which I wasn't sure about at first, but after making a few different versions of this drink, I realized, it NEEDS the egg. They add a subtle creaminess to the drink and it doesn't taste like egg at all. It makes it even prettier and looks like the clouds Taylor is floating on during the Lavender Haze music video. So let's share out how we made this pretty cocktail! Lavender Haze Cocktail Ingredients: 2 oz Empress Gin 1908 3/4 oz lemon juice (we use this juicer) 3/4 oz simple syrup 1 dash lavender bitters 1 egg white large ice cube dried edible lavender flowers , optional as garnish Notes: This serves up perfectly in a coupe glass and makes 1 drink. Instructions: Chill your coupe glass in the freezer for a few minutes, while you prepare the drink. In a cocktail shaker add the Empress Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and lavender bitters. Dry shake for 15 seconds, no ice. Add the ice cube to your shaker, wet shake for 20-30 seconds. Double-strain the drink into your chilled coupe glasses. At first it will look very white but after a minute, it settles to this lovely lavender color. Garnish with dried lavender flowers if desired Note about egg whites: Adding egg whites to your cocktails is a very old-fashioned thing and perfectly safe as long as your egg stays chilled. The egg white adds a rich creamy texture and for this drink, it represents the clouds that we see in the Lavender Haze music video. If you want more information, check out this egg-white cocktails video . Shop Cocktail Fun Finds: Iridescent coupe glasses // Bitters Set // Glass cocktail shaker For more Taylor Swift-inspired fun, check out our DIY Lover House Friendship Bracelet Holder Eras Tour Confetti Shadow Box and our Lavender Lemonade mocktail ! Be sure to check out my newest post on how to throw a Taylor Swift Party !

This easy seafood pasta salad is bursting with summer seafood flavors! It makes a great dish to take to a summer celebration, pool party, or cookout! Ingredients: 12 oz box medium pasta shells 8 oz, frozen pre-cooked salad shrimp 8 oz, frozen peas 20 oz, imitation crab meat lemon juice (1 lemon) 3/4 cup mayonnaise (sometimes I added a little more after it sits in the fridge overnight) Directions: In a large pot of salted water, boil your pasta as directed on the package. When there are a few minutes left to boil, add your frozen peas to boiling water. For example, my peas said they need to be boiled for 5 minutes, so I added them to my cooking pasta in the last 5 minutes of cook time. Once your pasta and peas have cooked, drain them in a colander and run them under cold water. Roughly chop your imitation crab. In a large bowl with a lid , add your crab meat, frozen precooked shrimp (they will dethaw in the pasta), drained pasta and peas, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine and season to taste. Salt and pepper really make this dish pop but if you want more flavor feel free to add the seasonings of your choice. Creole gives it a nice kick! Store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. This can also be made the night before. It tastes better the next day in my opinion. Serve chilled, as a side dish, or on its own for a light lunch! *Note: If you don't like shrimp, this can be made into just a crab pasta salad by doubling the crab meat and omitting the shrimp. We make it this way about half of the time. This is a staple of my childhood summers (with a few tweaks) and it is great for taking to picnics or pool parties! It really pairs well with a big glass of lemonade. Be sure to try our Lavender Lemonade too this summer!

June is flying by, and before we know it, it will be July 4th! But, that’s what happens when you’re having fun! Time needs to slow down. I’m trying to soak up every moment of free time this summer. The kids and I made these yummy Berry Patriotic Popsicles. They are red, white and blue and oh so yummy! Berry Patriotic Popsicles Ingredients: honey vanilla Greek yogurt 1 cup strawberries, hulled 1 cup blueberries 4 tablespoons sugar popsicle molds (I have these popsicle molds but for this, I used popsicle sticks and stuck them through aluminum foil I put over the top, instead of the plastic bottoms) Directions: 1. In a food processor or blender, mix together 1 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pulse until liquid. Pour into a bowl and rinse out your food processor. 2. In the cleaned-out food processor, mix together your 1 cup blueberries and 2 tablespoons sugar and pulse until liquid. 3. To start making your popsicles, layer spoonfuls of the yogurt, strawberry mixture, and blueberry mixture to create these red, white and blue layers in your popsicles. 4. Freeze overnight or at least 4 hours. Enjoy your berry patriotic popsicles with friends! For more cool treats this summer try our No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream and Wine Popsicles for the parents!